"In the third quarter of 2016, 10.9% of U.S. adults were without health insurance, representing a new low in Gallup's and Healthways' nearly nine years of trending the rate of uninsured. This is down from 11.9% in the fourth quarter of 2015, before the 2016 open enrollment period that allowed U.S. adults to obtain insurance through the government health insurance exchanges" Gallup said.
The rate witnessed a 6.2-percentage-point decrease from 17.1 percent in the fourth quarter of 2013, right before the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, took effect in 2014, aiming to lower the rate of uninsured individuals by spreading insurance coverage and reducing costs of healthcare.
The poll focused on individuals aged between 18 and 64, saying that this major decrease in the rate of uninsured adults from the fourth quarter of 2013 to the the third quarter of 2016 was linked to many individuals transitioning to self-paid health plans purchased directly from an insurer. The rate of self-insured people has increased from 17.6 percent in 2013 to 21.5 percent in 2016.
The one percentage point decrease was recorded before the 2016 enrollment period. The fourth open enrollment period will begin in November in which adults will be able to obtain insurance through government health insurance exchanges.
